10 Korean Rock Artists You Should Listen To: Crying Nut, Silica Gel, Jannabi & More
South Korea has a rich history with rock that dates back to the 1950s, and its deep and varied rock scene shouldn't be ignored. If you’re new to Korean rock, read on for 10 established and up-and-coming bands to add to your playlist.
(Clockwise) Silica Gel, Lucy, Touched, YUDABINBAND, Jannabi, Crying Nut, Band Nah
PHOTOS: TAEMIN HA/MAGIC STRAWBERRY SOUND; MYSTIC STORY; MPMG MUSIC; MPMG MUSIC; PEPONI MUSIC; COURTESY OF THE ARTIST; JANUARY
Given K-pop’s global reach and explosive popularity in recent years, you’d be forgiven if you thought that girl groups and boy bands were the totality of South Korean popular music. But just like the U.S. (and many other countries), Korea boasts a plethora of music genres that are widely enjoyed — including rock.
South Korea has a rich history with rock that dates back to the 1950s, when American military bases throughout the country played Western music on the radio and invited local musicians like Shin Joong-hyun — known as the "Godfather of Korean Rock"—to perform for them. Shin founded many rock bands, including Add4 (one of Korea’s first rock bands) and produced psychedelic hits for artists like Pearl Sisters, Kim Choo-ja and Kim Jung-mi.
Countless Korean rock bands appeared between the mid-1960s and 1980s, with a few of the most notable ones being He6, Sanullim, Deulgukhwa, Songgolmae and Boohwal. The mid to late ‘90s saw the emergence of an indie rock scene in Korea, thanks to pioneering groups like Crying Nut, No Brain, Pippi Band, Deli Spice and others. Later bands like Kiha & the Faces, Nell and Hyukoh helped keep K-indie rock alive through the 2000s and 2010s, and are now some of the most respected and renowned artists in Korean music history.
If you’re new to Korean rock, below are a few established and up-and-coming bands you should check out, in no particular order. Some of these acts recently performed at the annual Busan International Rock Festival.
Crying Nut
It’d probably be impossible to overstate the impact of these living legends on Korean rock. Crying Nut helped establish Korea’s indie music scene in the mid 1990s and are one of the founding fathers of Korean punk (known as "Joseon punk").
In 1996 they and fellow K-indie pioneers Yellow Kitchen jointly released Our Nation Vol. 1 — Korea’s first indie rock album. Two years later, Crying Nut's came out with their self-titled full-length album, which contained their smash hit "Speed Up Losers." The album sold over 100,000 copies and became the first successful album by a Korean indie act.
Their stunning achievement proved that an artist didn’t need to be signed to a major label to make it big and paved the way for other Korean artists to put out independent records, thereby further fostering the growth of Korea’s indie scene.
In the decades since their formation in 1993, Crying Nut — whose members include Park Yoon-sik (vocals, guitar), Lee Sang-hyuk (drums), Han Kyung-rok (bass), Kim In-soo (accordion, keyboard) and Lee Sang-myun (guitar) — have performed in numerous countries; they have performed at SXSW twice and headlined Lincoln Center’s K-indie Music Night last year.
jaurim
Like Crying Nut, Jaurim are K-indie rock pioneers and helped grow Korea’s burgeoning indie scene in the late ‘90s. Jaurim, whose current members include vocalist and frontwoman Kim Yuna, guitarist Lee Sun-kyu, and bassist Kim Jin-man, are South Korea’s longest-running co-ed band and celebrated their 25th anniversary last year.
Since their 1997 debut track "Hey, Hey, Hey," they’ve produced a number of hits, such as "있지 (It Is)", "Hahaha Song," "Shining" and the 2013 classic "25, 21," which was featured in the wildly popular 2022 K-drama of the same name. Notable singer/songwriter YOUNHA once publicly stated that there’s probably no Korean millennial who doesn’t like Jaurim. Given the fact that the band’s wide-ranging discography — which often deals with universal struggles like loneliness, angst, homelessness and LGBTQ+ representation — has managed to resonate with millions of Koreans for over two decades, she was probably right.
jannabi
Praised for their profound lyricism, unique retro sound and dynamic live performances, Jannabi are one of the most successful bands in K-indie rock history. Their massive 2019 hit "for lovers who hesitate" won both Best Modern Rock Song and Song Of The Year at the 2020 Korean Music Awards and is still charting in Korea today — more than four years after its release.
Currently made up of vocalist Choi Jung-hoon and guitarist Kim Do-hyung, Jannabi are so popular in their home country that they’re seemingly paying it forward now. For example, earlier this year, Choi hosted the summer edition of the KBS music show "The Seasons," which introduced the public to many talented indie artists.
If you’re based in the U.S., you can catch Jannabi performing live at the KBS Immortal Songs Live Concert in New Jersey on Oct. 26.
touched
Comprised of five members — Yunmin (vocals and guitar), Chae Dohyeon (keyboard), John B. Kim (bass), D.on (guitar) and Kim Seungbin (drums) — who all graduated from the Seoul Institute of the Arts, Touched are rapidly gaining attention in Korea and other parts of Asia for their electrifying performances. Since breaking into the K-indie scene in 2020, the rock quintet has released two EPs and won a host of domestic music competitions, including Mnet’s televised "Great Seoul Invasion," where they edged out 47 other rock bands to take home the grand prize.
Led by frontwoman Yunmin —whose powerful vocals, fierce stage presence and androgynous charm might call to mind the ‘80s pop icon Lee Sang-eun or fellow rocker Hwang So-yoon of SE SO NEON — Touched recently stole the show on "The Seasons" (hosted by Choi Jung-hoon of Jannabi). You know a band is pretty special when you see both college-age kids and boomers in the crowd screaming and moshing to its music.
surl
Formed by four high school friends Seol Hoseung (vocals, guitar), Lee Hanbin (bass), Oh Myeongsuk (drums) and Kim Doyeon (guitar), SURL have amassed a loyal and sizeable following both at home and abroad since debuting in 2018. After releasing their single "Cilla" and their EP I Know in 2019, they were invited to perform in Canada, Germany, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Japan and the U.S., where they played SXSW in 2022.
Earlier this year, they completed a 13-city tour of America and Canada and are scheduled to perform in Mexico and Los Angeles this November. Beloved by their fans for their musical virtuosity, catchy guitar-laden melodies and raw, relatable lyrics, SURL’s growing international profile makes them one of the biggest rising K-indie bands to watch.
band nah
If you’re ever having a bad day and need something to cheer you up, try listening to some songs like "1+1," "Shine" and "Love Love Love" by pop-rock trio Band Nah, whose members include bassist Paik Seung-ryeol; drummer Kang Hyun-woong; and leader, songwriter and producer Nah Sang-hyun, who also sings and plays the guitar on all of their tracks. The band’s uplifting, hopeful lyrics and breezy yet sophisticated sound have made them one of the fastest-rising indie acts in South Korea and have increasingly garnered them attention overseas.
Just last month, Band Nah played to an enthusiastic crowd in Germany as part of Korean Indie Music Nights in Berlin and held an hour-long fan signing event after the concert. Earlier this year they released their fifth EP Festival, a blissful mix of pop-punk, folk and rock that seeks to provide comfort to anyone who’s struggling to survive in today’s hypercompetitive society. K-drama fans might also recognize some of the band’s music from shows like "Mental Coach Jegal" and "Yumi’s Cells."
Yudabinband
If soft rock and Korean-style ballads are more your thing, you’ll definitely want to check out YUDABINBAND, a five-piece ensemble that includes Lee Jun-hyung (guitar), Cho Young-yun (bass), YOU (keyboard), Lee Sang-woon (drums) and frontwoman Yu Dabin, who also plays the acoustic guitar and writes their songs. Yu first caught the Korean public’s attention in 2016 as a contestant on Mnet’s "Superstar K," where she proved herself as a skilled singer-songwriter and finished in the Top 10.
Since officially debuting in 2020, YUDABINBAND have performed at a number of national music festivals and competitions and contributed to soundtracks for K-dramas like Cheer Up and Missing: The Other Side 2. While the group’s repertoire ranges from acoustic folk to rock, its songs are always driven by Yu’s mellifluous vocals and infused with a distinctly Korean sensibility that have made them a favorite among local indie fans.
silica gel
Currently consisting of Kim Chun-chu (guitar, vocals), Choi Woong-hee (bass), Kim Han-joo (keyboard, vocals) and Kim Gun-jay (drums), Silica Gel is one of the leading rock bands in Korea today. Their experimental, multi-layered sound — which often features intricate, mesmerizing guitar riffs and solos complemented by heavy synths — won them Best Modern Rock Song at the Korean Music Awards two years in a row (first in 2022 for "Desert Eagle" and again in 2023 for "No Pain").
After releasing their EP Machine Boy in April, the band is slated to come out with their second full-length album at the end of this year. Just listen to a few of their tracks like the aforementioned "No Pain" and "Desert Eagle" and their new single "Tik Tak Tok (featuring Hwang So-yoon of SE SO NEON)," and you’ll quickly see why they’ve become one of the most respected rock acts in their country.
lucy
Ever since FTISLAND’s successful debut in 2007 proved that there was a demand for rock acts who also looked like K-pop stars, other Korean "idol bands" have emerged, from CNBLUE to DAY6 to N.Flying. One of the hottest and most promising among them right now is LUCY, a four-member pop-rock band that first grabbed the national spotlight by finishing as the runners-up on JTBC’s music competition show SUPER BAND in 2019.
Composed of guitarist and lead vocalist Choi Sang-yeop, bassist and main producer Cho Won-sang, drummer and vocalist Shin Gwang-il, and violinist Shin Ye-chan (yes, you read that right — they even have a violinist), LUCY are winning over audiences across the globe thanks to their ability to experiment with new sounds (who ever knew that the violin could mesh so well with the electric guitar?) and seamlessly meld various genres.
nerd connection
Since representing South Korea at the 2018 Emergenza international finals in Germany (one of the leading global music competitions for emerging bands), Nerd Connection have been gaining a steady stream of fans from around the world. The band’s name refers to the fact that three of its members — Seo Young-joo (vocals, guitar), Choi Seung-won (guitar) and Park Jae-hyun (bass) — are all engineering graduates of Korea’s prestigious Yonsei University (its fourth member, drummer Shin Yeon-tae, is a former taekwondo instructor).
After initially drawing inspiration from Western rock bands like Radiohead, Coldplay and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as from Korean music icons like Kim Kwang-seok, Sanullim and Nell, Nerd Connection have since incorporated so many genres and subgenres into their music that it’s become quite difficult to describe their ever-evolving sound. For instance, their latest album Hard to Explain, which leans heavily into punk and metal, marks a clear departure from some of their earlier classics like "Good Night Good Dream" and "I’ll Just Walk," demonstrating their incredible musical range and versatility.
This article originally appeared on GRAMMY.com.